2002 Volkswagen Passat Body Problems

Which parts fail

• Body
  8
• Frame and members › Underbody shields
  3
• Frame and members
  3
• Body › Roof and pillars
  1

Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  521%
• 25k–50k
  938%
• 50k–75k
  313%
• 75k–100k
  417%
• 100k–150k
  28%
• 150k+
  14%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Volkswagen Passat owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

I was driving up somewhat of a hill and had to slow down due to a bit of traffic flow. I had realized I was a little closer than I thought so I braked a little harder than usual. My brakes were grabbing on tightly to the ground like they should but then seemed to have given out at the last couple seconds. My car hit the car in front of me, resulting in both my front airbags going off. The airbag on the passenger side and swung out and hit my right hand, resulting in some minor burns and scrapes. I then started going backwards after the car in front of me was hit. I hit my brakes to stop my car from rolling and there was nothing. My car would not let me brake. So I went to put the car in park, and then the car would not park. Finally the car stopped rolling backwards and we went to go move the car out of the street about 5 minutes later. …

While driving at 75mph or in city traffic I get an alarm warning that my driver's door is open. To shut the loud warning off, I must open and close the door while going 75mph or in traffic. Either I open the door while driving or pull over on the side of the highway with traffic, I find this very dangerous!!! This happens daily this is my second vw Passat that the door latch has failed and was told this a common problem with volkswagens this should be a recall because of the dangers of having to open the door to reset the latch electrical switches that are defective!!!

When it rains the car gets flooded causing the whole wiring system through the car to get damage. The car will suddenly lose power and die as your driving. Seems to happen. When on highway most. The car will not start or crank. I've had to vacuum the floor boards and trunk, search for damaged wires, change relays as well as camshaft position sensor, and fuel pump.as well as sensors. Trying to get it running again. Also the transmission jerks very hard when trying to go into reverse and most of the time in slips out of gear within1or 2 seconds.

I currently own a 2002 Volkswagen Passat. In May 2006 after some heavy rain, I noticed some dampness and odor emanating from the passenger-side flooring of my vehicle. During the last two months, the leakage has dramatically increased. After a heavy rain I have seen as much as one inch of standing water in the rear footwell. I took it to a local vw dealership today, who suggested the problem was due to an after-market piece of radio equipment that was installed more than two years ago. After returning home and carefully examining all of the sunroof drainage hole, I have determined that the rear passenger side drain does not drain to its intended location. The water seeps through the rear door's casing/seal and into the floor. The leak has caused my undercarriage to rust and leak. Many other vw owners have experienced this same problem. …

I was driving my 2002 Volkswagen Passat when my engine light came on. I immediately pulled over. I was in new york at the time so I had the car towed to the nearest vw dealership, which was romano vw in fayetville, ny. I had did some research and found that the vw has a problem with the pollen housing filter. I asked the service manager omar to check the filter, which in return he stated it was fine. The problem was the oil pump, and the computer. I eventually found out that the computer failed do to a water leak on the passenger side of the car, which is where the computer is located. Romano vw said there was a water leak but it was not caused by the filter. I have been fighting with vw customer care and they keep denying my claim. I eventually had my car fixed and picked the car up and drove home. Once I got home the engine light came on again. …

I was filling up my windshield washer fluid and was trying to put the cap back on my 2002 Passat when the hood strut failed and the hood crashed down on my forearm, pinning my arm between the hood and car frame. I screamed out both in pain and not being able to pull my arm free and had someone rush over to me within seconds. However, the hood latch had engaged but would not release since the hood was not closed all the way, my arm blocking this from happening. The first gentleman tried to alleve the pressure on my arm, which had already started going numb, while he called out for someone else to come and help and bring a heavy metal bar to pry me out. The second gentleman came with a large wrench and was able to bend the frame enough for me to pull my arm out. Major indent of my forearm had me make an emergency room visit. …

We have a 2002 Volkswagen Passat station wagon. Several days ago, the air bag light came on steadily & the car was accelerating sluggishly. We took it into the dealership the following day. There was a crack in the pollen filter housing which had allowed rainwater to track into the passenger compartment, under the carpets. A number of key electronic modules are in this location, including the transmission control module and the comfort control module. These units had been destroyed by the pooling water and will have to be replaced. The dealership tells us that this has been a common problem with passats; further research on the internet reveals a large number of people who've had similar problems (see http://www.theautobahn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12789&page=1&pp=10). I believe that this is a serious defect with passats that carries risk to drivers and passengers of these cars.

2002 Passat began thumping and lurching while in motion and while idling. Check engine light came on. Acceleration was abnormally slow. Three inches of standing water appeared in right rear footwell. Dealer informed me acceleration problem was due to water in TCM. TCM short circuited and then powertrain dropped. Water damage was due to leaking pollen filter seal, which was subject to p9 recall. Car was past warranty on time, but not miles. They fixed pollen filter seal and told me they couldn't do anything about the $4,000-$5000 damage from the leaking water. The car is not safe to drive. My car is parked outside. We had several rainy days in the week before the problem. The service manager suggested I must have left the window open. I contacted vw corp and they suggested I take it to a dealer for repair at my own expense.

During heavy rains, water entered the vehicle through the sunroof, which was properly closed and latched. Owner did not know that water infiltration had occurred. Upon driving the car after the storm, multiple warnings appeared. Car shuttered and would not shift gears. Eventually car shifted into drive. Took car to service station, which diagnosed that water had entered vehicle and pooled in passenger floorboard. Transmission module located beneath passenger floorboard flooded and failed. Transmission module and related components had to be replaced. We contacted manufacturer of vehicle and were told this was not a known problem, but information obtained by our insurance company indicates otherwise.

Tl contact owns a 2002 Volkswagen Passat. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a recall repair and was informed that other repairs were also needed. Prior to the recall being issued, the vehicle was experiencing the same symptoms stated in the recall. The vehicle is currently at the dealer to have the motor mount and cv boot repaired. In addition, there is a rubber component that needs to be repaired. The contact would like to know why she began experiencing so many issues with her vehicle at 15,000 miles. The NHTSA campaign id number was unknown. The failure mileage was 15,000 and current mileage was 44,000.

Body complaints in other Passat years